Browsec Review – Is It Safe in 2024

Today’s internet life is an integral part of our existence, and that gives us plenty of opportunities while at the same time concealing some threats and boundaries. The VPN software is designed to solve two main problems: online privacy protection and free access to global web resources.

Personal private data has been a valuable asset for digital intruders; hence, users look for ways to protect their sensitive information. On the other hand, the virtual private network is useful because it gives a solution on how to get the desired resource via the web if it is restricted in your region.

Our dedicated resource was created with the purpose of explaining the VPN settlement in a clear and human-readable form. It is a complex and time-consuming process of comprehending technical details for a non-tech-savvy person. Due to our platform, consumers do not need to waste hours of time figuring out the essentials of this entity. We believe our job will help you find what you came for.

Pros

• 40+ free location on Chrome extension
• Decent speed of the US server on mobile apps
• No bandwidth limitation

Cons

• Non-strict privacy policy
• Poor speed on Chrome for the European region
• Poor speed on Chrome for the American region
• High speed downgrade on mobile apps for the European region
• Three location for mobile apps
• Does not work in highly restricted countries
• Live support does not answer

Browsec VPN Features

The current company has developed distribution for two popular mobile platforms and four browsers. As said on the official website, they have an intention to replenish their software with desktop applications for macOS and Windows. The existing free applications are equipped with a selection of locations to a different extent, depending on the particular app.

Also, their VPN products received distinctive security functionality and speed possibilities that are as well dependent on the app. The official website and software itself give an ability to contact live support. The paid version offers consumers valuable bonuses that are absent in free programs. The following sections of our review will give you more details about the Browsec settlement.

Privacy and Logging

Today’s society is drawn to VPN services because of two important features: defending online privacy and enabling free internet surfing without georestrictions or other boundaries. We have explored the privacy policy fulfilment of the current provider and are going to give comprehensive particulars about it.

Every VPN company should have a privacy policy page. It is not a common manual with uniform provisions for all services. Each vendor adheres to its own statements: one proposes strict individual data safeguards when another can collect sensitive information about you. 

Identifying information has different appearances, and the majority of it can reveal such data as your geographical location, passwords, billing details, etc. Also, the provider can assign to you a special identifying marker like an account ID, that does not imply any consequences. For example, you can be the 1001st participant in their network, and your account ID number will be 1001.

Cockies are the tracking technologies that have been used for distinctive purposes: from analysing statistics to gathering user data. In the context of their explanation, current cookies are related just to their website, not to applications.

As previously mentioned, consumers get their personal ID numbers during account creation. In the case of purchasing the premium plan, Browsec also gathers some additional data, and it is an interesting moment. Who knows if they store the credit card details as part of your subscription’s data?

Browsers can reveal your IP address, which is enough to detect geolocation. The client software is the software on your device. It would be nice to know what exact intelligence they collect. It can be the technical name of your device, including the model and the version of the operating system, and then it is fine. But on the other hand, your bank application is software too…

The first point says that when you use Browsec’s service, automatic data collection is enabled. The second point means that they are obligated to share the data on their servers if the government requests it.

Keep an eye periodically on this document because the provider can change the game rules in some circumstances. If you miss it and continue to exploit the services, you are deemed to have accepted them. 

Speed Tests – How Fast is Browsec VPN

Comfortable internet usage is impossible without a decent internet connection. Your online experience is positive when an internet service provider (ISP) gives fast velocity.

An encrypted network always impacts the connection speed, but it does it differently. While one programme has negligible influence on your network, another can lead to more than 90% of deterioration.

We have investigated the current provider’s connection speed capacity and described it in this section. Every speed measurement was conducted using the same conditions, which included a single speed checker and one ISP. We look at three basic indices:

• The download speed shows how fast you can consume the content;
• The upload speed shows how fast you can deliver content on the web from your local device;
• The ping time shows the delay between the timestamps of the data you sent and the response from the opposite party.

Usually, we involve two locations for testing: the US and European regions. Nonetheless, we can do this only if the free edition of VPN allows us to do so.

PC Test

This section is empty because the provider has not developed software for desktop devices.

Browsers’ Extensions Test

Browsec VPN is compatible with the Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge browsers. We took, for instance, the Chrome browser, as it is the most popular.

The top image shows the results of the ISP. The indexes are:

• download speed is 15.72 mbps;
• upload speed is 12.14 mbps;
• ping time is 6 ms.

The central image shows the performance of the US server. The indexes are:

• download speed is 2.14 mbps;
• upload speed is 1.12 mbps;
• ping time is 143 ms.

The download speed fell 86% below the ISP speed, and the upload speed is nearly 90% below. Ping time has increased from 6 ms to 143 ms.

The central image shows the performance of the Dutch server. The indexes are:

• download speed is 3.77 mbps;
• upload speed is 2.41 mbps;
• ping time is 106 ms.

The download speed loss is 76% lower than the ISP speed, and the upload speed is 80% lower. The ping time has increased from 6 ms to 106 ms.

The US location performed incredibly badly. This result will not give users the ability to enjoy it. The European region also demonstrated significant losses, especially for upload speed. The ping time response is very high in both cases and does not predict success for live-time events like online calls, meetings, or gaming.

Mobile Test

This vendor has distribution for two major mobile platforms on the market, and you will see its outcome right now.

IOS

The vertical image illustrates the results of the ISP. The indexes are:

• download speed is 54.5 mbps;
• upload speed is 54.0 mbps;
• ping time is 3 ms.

The top-right image shows the performance of the US server. The indexes are:

• download speed is 58.9 mbps;
• upload speed is 11.7 mbps;
• ping time is 166 ms.

The download increased by 8%, and the upload speed is about 78% below the initial rate. Ping time has increased from 3 ms to 166 ms.

The bottom-right image shows the performance of the English server. The indexes are:

• download speed is 19.1 mbps;
• upload speed is 20.2 mbps;
• ping time is 132 ms.

The download speed loss is 65% of the ISP speed, and the upload speed received approximately 63% of the loss. The ping time has increased from 3 ms to 132 ms.

The results of the iOS system present an excellent performance of the US server download speed; your ability to get the desired content is quite efficient. The upload index incurs a significant downgrade that will not let you share the traffic quickly.

The English server lost a significant part of its capabilities and can cause palpable lags while working on the mobile network.

The ping time response index jumped over the range of affordable values for either location. Real-time event processing is problematic with such indicators.

Android

The vertical image illustrates the results of the ISP. The indexes are:

• download speed is 34.5 mbps;
• upload speed is 8.62 mbps;
• ping time is 37 ms.

The top-right image shows the performance of the US server. The indexes are:

• download speed is 37.1 mbps;
• upload speed is 7.13 mbps;
• ping time is 161 ms.

The download increased by 7%, and the upload speed loss was 17%. Ping time has increased from 37 ms to 161 ms.

The bottom-right image shows the performance of the Dutch server. The indexes are:

• download speed is 18 mbps;
• upload speed is 6.81 mbps;
• ping time is 85 ms.

The download speed loss is 48%, and the upload speed downfall is 21%. The ping time has increased from 37 ms to 85 ms.

The American server has well-built settings: the download speed does not require any words; it is great; and the upload index is not critical either. In the majority of cases, you can use it comfortably. The ping time response is bigger than it is desired to be, and notwithstanding the solid velocity, it is not relevant for online video calls, audiocalls, or other live-time occasions.

The Dutch server did not show good performance. If your ISP can ensure a rapid connection, then that can be the case, but mobile networks and social Wi-Fi hotspots will not give high performance. 

About Safety – How Secure is Browsec VPN?

Approximately in the centre, above the connection button, you can see a switcher between two core security features: IPsec and XRay.

• IPsec protocol’s peculiarities:
• Encapsulation: Your device encapsulates data packets in extra IPsec headers when you connect to a VPN via this protocol. 
• Encryption: After that, the data packets are enveloped with powerful encryption, such as AES (Advanced Encryption Standard.). This prevents intercepting the data packets from accessing their contents.
• Authentication: A digital signature is also utilised to authenticate the data packets. This ensures that the information was not altered during the transition and originated from the legal sender.

• Decryption: encrypted packets are decrypted and decapsulated when they arrive at the destination.
• The X-ray feature is not available in the free version. In short, it is a robust tool that offers strong security and anonymity.

The Android application also has the OpenVPN (TCP) protocol, except for these two.

OpenVPN is a versatile VPN protocol with strong security, flexibility, and the ability to bypass restrictions. It can work over TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol). TCP is more reliable in terms of secure data transmission but less fast because of its complex structure. UDP, in turn, has better velocity, but the data packages can be transmitted in the wrong order.

There are no protocols in this distribution; however, there are two elements in the bottom bar that include some valuable assets.

The gear icon on the second from the left edge contains four functions:

• ‘Use Browsec for WebRTC connections’
• WebRTC (web real-time communication) is a protocol that allows making audio and video calls from the browser. However, WebRTC also allows websites to know your real internal and public IPs even if you use a VPN (it’s known as a WebRTC IP leak). This option will prevent WebRTC IP leaks when Browsec is enabled. As a side effect, it can affect the quality of audio/video calls from the browser.
• ‘Change browser timezone according to your virtual location’ feature
• This option changes your browser’s time zone to match your virtual location. With this option on, the websites can’t detect any time zone differences. But it is available just for the premium subscription.
• ‘Don’t show promo offers feature’ is a simple ad blocker.
• ‘Remove cache on authorization popups’ feature
• This feature fortifies security and confidentiality by ensuring that authorization popups or prompts, which may request sensitive information, do not store this data in the browser cache or local storage.

The ‘Smart settings’ option on the right from the gear icon enables you to determine domains that should be connected to a specific location while Browsec is turned on.

Desktop Apps

This section is empty because the provider has not developed software for desktop devices.

Mobile Apps

Here we have described the visual implementation of the mobile applications and their general features in order for you to better imagine this software.

The main screen of the application contains four interactive elements:

• The connection button;
• The protocol switcher;
• Locations field;
• Hamburger menu icon.

Let us take a look at the fulfilment of the menu.

The general menu of iOS’s VPN does not include any serious settings, just some common options.

The main screen contains the same four elements that we saw on iOS, with a little difference in its visual presentation. And the general menu has some amendments.

The third ‘Apps protection’ option works like a Split Tunnelling function: users can manually select applications that will be transferred directly to the ISP network and which should be protected by the VPN. The ‘Always-On VPN’ feature enables the programme to work in the background even if you close it.

Browser Extensions

The main screen of the extension contains a location field in the central main area and six interactive elements in the footer bar. Despite the options that we have discussed in the section devoted to security here, We think that the Telegram icon, the email icon, and the turn-on/off button do not require additional explanation.

Performance

The browser extension speed test demonstrated very poor results both for the American and European regions, here is nothing to add more. However, the mobile speed tests for either platform proved that the US server can boost the ISP’s initial connection speed of the download index and has a modest deterioration of the upload rate, but it is far from critical. The European servers are not so efficient to provide seamless workflow for the cellular networks or public Wi-Fi spots. 

The iOS application possesses only one protocol, and it is considered to be a reliable remedy for security protection. The Android programme offers two decent protocols for the free edition and two useful additional settings. The browser extension does not have fundamental safeguard options, but there are a few secondary features that make the user experience better. Also, we did not meet bandwidth limitations on either app.

Work in Highly Restricted Countries

There is no information on this topic from the provider.

Server’s locations

Each app has a different scope of available locations. The Android VPN counts 40+ countries, and only three are available for free; the same situation exists with the iOS app. The browser extension proposes a rich selection of free locations for users in a total of 46 countries.

What Bonuses Does the Paid Version Offer, and How Much Does It Cost?

If you want to purchase a subscription, Browsec provides you with 100 Mbit/s speed, the whole server selection for the mobile apps, and you are able to use five devices on one account. The third point about the ads is not clear because we have not faced third-party advertisements. Most likely, they mean their own promotion of the paid plan embedded in the free edition.

About Support

The official website has a contact us page where you can type your question and leave an email to receive feedback. Also, every application has a dedicated feature where users can write them directly via email. We had written them and did not receive an answer.

Browsec VPN Review: Final verdict

We have described a lot about this vendor, and it is time to consume the facts. The free application of the current provider has strong and weak points. It is not top-notch software among free applications from other vendors. Definitely, users can utilise the software for their purposes, but there are enough things to make it better.